Lioness
by 0Shadow Panther0
Summary: Cat and mouse. Hunter and prey. Savior and the helpless. All common games played in the shinobi world. Sometimes, these games are taken too literally. In a jutsu gone wrong, Sakura is turned into a supposedly mythical beast, and a game of cat and mouse, a race against the forces, begins. Too bad the only things Sakura can say about this is "Nya." What a pain.
1. Absent Friends

Lioness

Ch.1

_Absent friends… Heres to them…_

_To happy days_

_We thought that they would never end_

_Here's to absent friends…_

~Lioness~

The first of January. The New Year. A time of renewal, old debts repaid, joy.

For Konohagakure, the noble Village Hidden in the Leaves, a time of mourning,

The first of January, Haruno Sakura, female of the legendary Team 7, apprentice to the famous Godaime Hokage Tsunade, loved by all, declared Killed in Action.

~Lioness~

_**…Two weeks earlier…**_

A young woman sped through the trees, sun dappled shadows throwing a mysterious glow to her surroundings as she raced on, mentally reciting her mission.

_A-class criminal 'Akuma Shiroi,' Kumogakure nuke-nin_, she pondered. Even in deep concentration, the kunoichi never missed a beat, landing on each branch lightly, the loudest noise being the faint rustling of leaves. _Apparently stole some scrolls containing a secret jutsu of some sort, something about… Transformation? Ugh, I wish I remembered to bring my Bingo Book… Preferred alive for interrogation, but dead is fine, too…_

A sudden shaking in the bushes around the clearing below made her stop abruptly and hide her chakra signature, praying that _whatever_ it was down there didn't notice.

A few agonizingly tense seconds ticked by before a lone figure stalked out into the light. Cat-like green-flecked gold eyes searched the clearing lazily, not bothering to look up. The man's build was impressive, standing at least two meters tall, toned muscles made apparent by the tight black tank he wore. A scratched out Kumo hitai-ate tied around his left bicep signified the end of his affiliation with his village. A shock of unruly stark white hair contrasted with dark, tanned skin. Standard shinobi pants and sandals adorned his lower half while a giant double headed _battleaxe_ of all things was strapped to his back.

The kunoichi's eyes widened. _That's him! But… the recon team said he was in Kiri, and we're not even past Fire Country borders! It's pure luck that I caught him here…_ The woman took a deep breath, tugging lightly at her sturdy leather gloves- a habit she did when she was preparing for a fight.

She tensed her muscles, preparing the jump and catch him unawares, when he flickered out of sight. Viridian eyes widened as her target disappeared.

"Where…?" she murmured, stiffening even more. She crouched lower, straining her eyes to see past the dense foliage that surrounded her.

"Tsk tsk," a low, masculine voice sounded behind her. "If being a big-shot criminal like me gets little pink-haired _girls_ sent out to hunt me down, can't wait to see what those rats in the lower villages get."

The emerald eyed girl whipped around, kunai in hand, and lashed out instinctively. The blade met skin, and the figure disappeared in a _'poof.'_

"Kage bunshin no jutsu," she hissed in annoyance. The first ninja trick any shinobi learns in the academy, and _everyone_ still manages to fall for it.

Shiroi reappeared in the clearing, flaring his chakra squinting upwards, attempting to peer through the entanglement of branches and leaves. After a moment he shook his head and unstrapped the massive battleaxe.

It was beautiful, in its own, sick, twisted way. The blade was crimson, like blood, or, the woman thought with a pang, a Sharingan eye, the doujutsu of the Uchiha clan.

_Uchiha…_ she thought, nibbling on her lower lip. _Uchiha Sasuke…_

The petal-haired kunoichi shook her head to clear her troublesome thoughts and continued her study of the giant axe.

The sides of the blade, the sides used for cutting, no, _hacking_, were a pale, luminescent silver, almost casting an eerie glow. The staff and hilt were entirely wrapped in worn black leather, with splatters of reddish-brown marring the smooth surface.

She didn't dare to think about what the splotches might be.

The nuke-nin hefted the heavy weapon like it was nothing, and twirled it carelessly a few times before he _threw it_. It spun blade over hilt, fast enough so it appeared to shimmer, before impaling itself halfway through an ancient-looking oak on the other side of the clearing.

The woman suppressed a gasp. He hadn't even used chakra.

"Come down," Shiroi called. "I just want to talk." To prove his point, he unbuckled the ninja utility belt from his waist and unclipped his hip pouch, tossing them towards the same oak, now sporting a massive axe sticking out at an awkward angle.

The ninja eyed the ex-Kumo nin suspiciously. Even without weapons, with that monster strength of his, he could still launch an offensive, but the white-haired shin obi's stance was lax. He went as far as putting his hands in his pockets and slouching. The posture reminded her so much of a certain Copy Nin that she half-expected him to take out a perverted book and read, giggling like a school girl every time he turned the page.

Her brow furrowed. _Either way, I have the advantage_, she pondered. _I have weapons, and he'll probably underestimate me._ A scowl over took elfin features. She didn't like being underestimated, but it was useful in some cases.

Hesitantly, the pink-haired ninja leapt from her perch in the trees, landed softly on the cold grass, still damp from late morning dew.

Shiroi's eyes widened. "Hey, I saw you in the Bingo Book!" he exclaimed childishly. "You're uh… Hana? No… Something flowery…"

The emerald-eyed woman repressed the urge to roll her eyes. _This_ was an A-class _criminal_? She didn't doubt his _abilities_, not with that blatant show of strength earlier, but _personality_-wise, she had a feeling he probably wouldn't exactly _fit in_.

"Got it!" the nuke-nin shouted suddenly. "Sakura! Haruno Sakura!"

He looked mighty pleased with himself.

"Good job," Sakura drawled sarcastically. "Would you like a cookie?"

Shiroi's brow creased, and he _pouted_. "How mean of you," he mock-sniffled, one hand clutching the dark fabric of his tank, directly over his heart. "You should be _overjoyed_ that I recognized you."

Sakura scoffed indignantly. "Now, this idle chat is pleasant and all, but came down from my _perfectly comfortable_ tree to talk about something _important_. If that's all, I'd like my bounty now, Akuma. You know, _the one that comes from your head_." She finished with a dramatic crack of her knuckles that echoed in the clearing.

"Feisty," Shiroi chuckled, cat-like eyes flashing merrily, like this was one big joke. "Nah, I got better thing to say."

"Like _what_?" the Hokage's apprentice asked, a slender pink eyebrow raised. "Your favorite ramen flavors? What shampoo and hair gel you use? Whether you wear boxers or briefs?"

The rogue ninja laughed, as in, threw his head back and genuinely _laughed_. Unfairly white teeth that rivaled those of Maito Gai _sparkled _in the dim light.

"While those are amusing topics," he began, "I have information that concerns _your_ village." Sakura cocked her head curiously, prompting him to continue.

All traces of his smile was gone, as well as the cheerful energy.

"Otogakure. Orochimaru. Uchiha Sasuke."

A rough intake of breath sounded sharply, shock evident on Sakura's face.

"What?" she mumbled. "How… Why… Why tell us? We're _hunting _you! We want to freaking _kill_ you!"

Suddenly, the happy façade was up again. "Well…" Shiroi began slyly. "I sorta haven't tried out my new jutsu yet, and I…"

"Need a human guinea pig," Sakura finished, staring at the ground.

"Exactly!" he cheered. "So, I give you info, you send via summoning or whatever back to Konoha, and I get to try my new jutsu! Fair enough?"

The kunoichi nodded mutely. Shiroi clapped his hands together. "So, in my hip pouch I have three scrolls. One contains the location and a rough map of Orochimaru's hideout in Oto, one on the snake's experiments and some stuff on his forbidden arts, and one has my jutsu! Grab 'em, will you?"

With a small surge of chakra, Sakura leapt across the clearing, landing silently by the old tree. The green-eyed girl flipped open the pouch, and darted away.

The nuke-nin looked on, mild confusion written on handsome features.

_So, no chakra reactive explosive tags? I thought he would be more prepared. An A-class criminal holding onto important scrolls containing information on Sound and forbidden ninja arts, as well as one Kumo jutsu. He's bound to have _some_ people searching for him… Hm…_

She wandered back to the open pouch and shook out its contents. A few kunai clattered harmlessly to the ground, then three small scrolls tumbled out, one red, two blue.

"Blue ones' are on Oto," Shiroi said, flickering next to her. Sakura forced herself not to flinch, watching warily as the axe-wielder bent down to grab the red jutsu scroll.

Still glaring, Sakura bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood and slammed her hand to the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke accompanied by a _poof_ spread through the grass, and the smoke cleared, revealing a small slug.

Sakura opened both scrolls and scanned the contents. Some of the information they knew about, like some of the snake Sannin's forbidden arts, while others would be key information for launching an attack on Sound, and, ultimately, Orochimaru.

"Send this to Tsunade-sama, please," the pink-haired medic-nin asked the tiny creature kindly, rolling the scrolls toward it. "Tell her it's from me."

The slug squelched in replied, and disappeared in a smoky white cloud.

"Where'd you the scrolls?" Sakura asked, not taking her eyes off the dissipating clouds.

Shiroi chuckled. "Listen, kitten, my work isn't exactly _legal_, you know. Some stealing here, an assassination there, but they're not the most interesting jobs. I'm curious guy. I just _might_ have bribed one of the... how should I put this... _less loyal_ minions into showing me where the library was, killed the guy, and ran like hell. " He finished his explanation with a smirk. "Key word is _might_. Now, about my jutsu…?"

"Just do it." Sakura's eyes hadn't moved. Out of the corner of her eye, the young woman could see the smirking missing-nin forming rapid hand-seals. He completed the seals with a tiger seal and murmured something under his breath.

A flash of white, and Sakura felt her surroundings fade to black.

_What a stupid way to die…_

~Lioness~

Konoha ANBU arrived at the scene a few hours later, lured by the large chakra spike.

The sight they encountered was not pretty,

A body, twisted, blackened, and charred, was identified as Akuma Shiroi. Every tree, every plant, every blade of grass within a twenty meter radius was completely obliterated. Burned beyond recognition.

A pink-haired medic-nin was not found.

A search party was sent out in hopes of finding a _living_ body, but after scoping everywhere within a two kilometer radius, nothing was found.

One week passed.

Another party was sent out , consisting of a the members of the Konoha Eleven- minus Sakura - Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, TenTen, Lee, Neji, Sai, and Naruto. Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai joined as well. With the Hyuga kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, combined with the Aburame chakra seeking bugs and the Inuzuka's ninken and tracking abilities, they were bound to find the pink-haired medic-nin, the one who had settled in each of their hears.

Another week passed.

The first of January, Haruno Sakura, female of the legendary Team 7, apprentice to the famous Godaime Hokage Tsunade, loved by all, declared Killed in Action.

The first of January, it snowed in Konoha for the first time in a four decades.

The first of January, a small cat-like creature with white, pink-tinted fur, and odd blue and green eyes wandered to the gates of Konohagakure and collapsed, suffering from major burns.

~Lioness~

(A/N)- Whoa. Before you guys kill me for working on this instead of finishing KA and Of Stars and Light, this has been bothering me for _months_. Months, I tell you. I finally got this chapter off my mind, so I'll start updating more regularly now, 'kay?

If Sakura ever turned into a cat, what would you name her? Your opinions count, so REVIEW, DAMNIT. OR I'LL TURN INTO A FUCKING DOG TOY AND SIC AKAMARU AND THE REST OF THE GODDAMN INUZUKA DOGS ON YOU.

Ja ne~

Shadow Panther

PS- Looking for a beta-reader. _PLEASE_ PM me if your interested. Please. (Aren't I charming?)

PSS- Also looking for creative, _funny_ death threats, such as, "Deidara, touch me again and I swear to god, I will cut off your hair and beat you to death with it, deal?" Preferred but not necessary, the name of the threatener and threatenee.


	2. Bittersweet Memories

Lioness

Ch. 2

_Bittersweet memories_

_Fade like blossoms in winter_

_And leave us with sorrow_

~Lioness~

The funeral of Haruno Sakura was a grave one. The Konoha Twelve and their sensei, as well as the Godaime Hokage Senju Tsunade, her assistant Shizune, and dozens shinobi and civilians of all ages, from the youngest genin to the oldest grandfather, attended. ANBU skulked in the shadows. All had been healed by the pink-haired medic, and all had been charmed by her easy smile, her bright eyes, her compassion, her loyalty to her village and friends, how she treated fellow ninja as family and friends rather than comrade-in-arms are mere patients.

They couldn't believe she was gone.

Uzumaki Naruto, one of the last members of the original Team 7, was no where to be seen.

Small speeches were to be given in her honor, by her closest friends, although everyone in Konoha had parting words for.

Yamanaka Ino spoke first. Long, platinum blonde hair was let down, her trademark purple outfit replaced by a solemn black dress. When she spoke, her voice cracked, tears streaming down pale cheeks from dull sky-blue eyes.

"When we were younger, Sakura was always the odd one out," she said softly. The crowd strained to hear her. "She was always teased for her hair and forehead, and shyness. She was so quiet, so delicate, but she never broke. She always cried silently." Ino took a long, shuddering breath.

"Then I met her. Little Sakura, with pink hair, green eyes, and a too-big forehead. I gave her a ribbon to tie her hair back, and we were off. For a while, we were stuck at the hip. I still saw people bullying her, but they ran when they saw me. Probably thought I would poison them with flower roots. They were damn right if they did."

There was a small dry laugh, which quickly quieted as blonde continued. "Then Uchiha Sasuke came. Dark, broody Sasuke. Sakura fell for him instantly. I wasn't much better off. Then Sakura, shy Sakura, told me that we weren't best friends anymore. We were rivals. And I, being stupid, young, vain me, didn't protest. I let one boy tear my best friend away from me." Fists clenched, teeth grit, Ino summoned enough of _something_ to say one more thing.

"I never said sorry to her…"

Shikamaru and Chouji were immediately by her side as she broke down, sobbing. There was a moment of silence. Then Kakashi began his tale.

"When I first saw Team 7, I didn't notice Sakura. How could I, with the Kyuubi and the last Uchiha to look after? I never helped her, even when she displayed her amazing chakra control and courage in the Land of Waves. I still believe that I had nearly no, if any, part in her blooming." The masked ninja smiled ruefully behind his mask, eyes staring blankly at the memorial stone.

"I let her down, even though I swore not to lose anyone precious to me, not after Obito and Rin. I lost Sasuke, and now I've lost her…" Unshed tears glistened in mismatched eyes, eyes that spoke of things better left unheard. "She grew up to be a beautiful kunoichi, and I've done nothing to help her.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry…" Head bowed, the silver-haired shinobi stepped back into the shadows.

"Sakura was the daughter I never had," Tsunade said, sober and dark. "She was a flower that blossomed quickly, needing only a little nudging in the right direction.

"She learned quickly, but she was so modest, quick to give and reluctant to receive, finishing paperwork that should have been done by me and taking shifts when any other person would have passed out." The Hokage dragged one hand down her face, tears leaving shining tracks down cheeks too often full of the red paint of alcohol.

"When she came to me, looking for a mission, she looked so confident, so full of life… but I made a rash decision. She was only chunin, only _barely_ chunin. I gave her an A-ranked job, one that I probably would have handed off to a more experienced jonin.

"I made one mistake, and now she's gone."

There was crash, and Uzumaki Naruto emerged from smoke, eyes blazing red and face feral.

"_How can you say that_?!" he roared, canines elongating. "_She's not dead_! _Sakura's not dead_!" He stalked to the memorial stone, which had stood for decades, and swiped at it, red chakra claws obliterating her name, lovingly carved

"Yamato! Stop him!" Tsunade called, frantically motioning toward the rampaging demon-host. The kyuubi's aura was already forming around him, and a single, bubbling tail seeped behind, sending civilian and ninja alike into a panic.

The wood user raised a shaking hand, trembling from not fear, but grief. Several wooden pillars rose from the earth, sweeping towards Naruto.

"_There's no proof _!" he was still screaming. "_There was no body!_ _She could still be alive_! _People don't disappear, they just stop looking for them_!"

The wood columns swirled around him, rendering Naruto immobile and sucking out his chakra. Just before he was rendered unconscious, he whispered something, very softly.

"_If there's a chance, I'll take, even if I have to sell my soul…_"

**Sakura**

Pain was the first thing that registered in my mind when I awoke. Well, not exactly pain, but more of a sharp throbbing, accompanied by an uncomfortably hot feeling, as if I was barely skirting a katon jutsu.

I tried to rise up, but barely managed to crawl on all fours, like my body was resisting the will to stand on two feet.

_Hunt_, some little voice in my head whispered, neither my own thoughts or my inner personality. _Kill_.

In all honesty, I couldn't hunt an ant- all I had left was the tiniest spark of chakra, and I couldn't even see my own feet. My eyesight was that of a worm at the moment-nothing but smudges of gray-green colors. What shocked me, though, was my sense of scent. I could _smell_ everything. The scent of Japanese oak and fresh moss invaded my nose, and a sharp smoke scent pierced through the tang of the natural forest.

It was a smell that I was all too familiar with- the smell of ceremonial incense.

Someone was dead.

Once you're a shinobi, you experience death. More than you thought you could have. Family, lovers, friends, teachers, strangers, enemies, you see them all go. You always feel _something_. Like Kakashi-sensei, or Sasuke-kun, or even Momochi Zabuza, the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist.' He cried when Haku died. He wasn't a monster.

The scary part is not knowing _what _you will feel. Regret. Guilt. Sadness. Some of the more heartless shinobi just think its another job well done. And sometimes it's better that way.

When you start to think, _Did they have families? Lovers? Someone that would welcome them back with open arms and be thankful that their alive? _That's the saddest part. When you can kill someone who has innocent people in their lives that _love _them, and feel nothing at all, that's the scariest.

By now, my vision was starting to come back, and it was… strange. The colors of the woods seemed more muted than I remembered, like someone washed away the brightness.

I glanced down, and I saw it. Well, not it, but _them._

Paws. I had paws. I must be delusional. I double-checked. Nope, still there. I had a pair of white, fuzzy, _mother fucking paws._

Then I remembered everything. Akuma Shiroi, the information that I sent to Tsunade-sama, the jutsu that he performed on me. _That_ must be the reason that looked like… What did I look like? So far the only thing I deduced was that I had (_mother fucking_) paws. Joy.

_Wait, what day is it?_ my scrambled mind thought, struggling to form coherent thoughts. _Oh _shit_, Naruto must be worried sick, and- and Shishou, oh Kami, what about Ino and Hinata and TenTen, and…_

Once my brain picked up a rhythm, kept rambling, nothing short of an (near) endless tirade, but soft sobs floating in the air cut my thoughts flat.

I felt my ears prick- another note on body parts inconsistent with a human self- and froze.

It sounded like… Ino…

Oh Kami… What happened?

Without hesitating, I darted off into the woods, following the sound of my best friend's cries, not even thinking to think about the reliability of me hearing abilities, nothing on my mind but _who the hell was dead_.

Was it Chouji? Shikamaru? Asuma? Hinata? Ten Ten? _Naruto_? A list of Konoha shinobi that we all knew on a personal level streaked through my mind, names blurring into names, syllables bleeding into syllables.

I still didn't know how long I had been unconscious after the fight with Shiroi, but I was positive that none of the teams had been out on a mission, or planning to go on one harsh enough to have deadly consequences. It _just didn't make any goddamned sense_.

Suddenly, the Konoha gates burst into view, and I could see the sky as I raced out of the trees. Clouds lay thick and heavy up above, looking as if the world was in mourning.

The gates were carelessly open, and the gate guards, Kotetsu and Izumo, were absent as well. I could _smell _them, and it was… different.

The atmosphere was tense and grave, and if I had to give a description, I would say it smelled of grief. It layered and mixed with the gate guards' scents- one that, as a human, I would barely be able to sniff out, light and masculine, clean. As whatever animal I was, it was strong, and the sadness-scent choked my sensitive nose.

It didn't suit them.

A dull glint caught my eyes, and I realized it was the glass of what appeared to be a picture frame reflecting the meager light. I stumbled to a stop, nearly colliding nose-first into the gate check.

Dodging the table legs, I went behind the desk, to where Kotetsu and Izumo would usually sit.

Balancing on my hind legs was harder than I expected, and the pounding in my head, which had faded during my mad dash back to Konoha, was back with a vengeance, making the world spin and blur dangerously.

Eyes narrowing with strain, I put my front paws onto Kotetsu's chair and hoisted myself up, thorn-sharp claws digging into the scratchy fabric, my (recently discovered) tail lashing and back legs scrabbling for purchase, and the background swerved dangerously.

After regaining my balance, all four feet planted firmly on the seat, and leaned over cautiously to find the source of the glow that had caught my attention. Finding it, I blinked in surprise.

It was a picture frame, one that I had given the gate guards a year prior, and in it was a photo of Kotetsu, Izumo, and I, grinning goofily with our arms around each others' shoulders, with various other genin, chunin, and jonin in the background. It was the day I passed my chunin exams, and the other newly made 'journey nin' were at a bar, partying hard and getting shit-faced. Kotetsu had drunkenly and embarrassingly proclaimed his love for me and found himself making out with the table. Izumo then hit him upside the head, apologized profusely to me, and dragged his unconscious partner out the door.

Kotetsu blushed furiously whenever he saw me for the next three weeks.

Small wet splotches speckled the glass and the solid wood of the desk, and I noticed a faint salty scent.

Tears. The splotches were tears.

They had been crying. Optimistic, care-free Kotetsu and brave, strong Izumo _cried_.

The world spun around once more, and I teetered off the desk, thudding on the cold unforgiving ground below.

**A/N:** Holy crack bottle. IT'S HERE. CHAPTER TWO. Super ultra mega ultimate thakee's to **azure blue espeon**, my super ultra mega ultimate BETA READER! March 23 is my birthday, so this is a present from me to you. *Does retarded Elvis imitation* 'Thank you very much.'

Gonna see if I can update anything else before my B-Day. Vote on my poll!

Ja ne~

Shadow Panther

PS- Support me! I have to get 95% in math to regain my iPod privileges! Right now, I have a 90.97%. reviews motivate me!


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